Stone Guardian from the Tomb of King Muryeong
6th–7th century stone guardian of Baekje
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The stone guardian from the Tomb of King Muryeong (Korean: 무령왕릉 석수; Hanja: 武寧王陵 石獸) was uncovered in a 1971 excavation and designated as the 162nd National Treasure of South Korea in 1974. It’s currently held at the Gongju National Museum.[1]
Stone guardian in the Tomb of King Muryeong | |
| Location | Gongju National Museum |
|---|---|
| Completion date | 6-7th century CE |
| Designated | 1974-07-09 |
| Reference no. | 162 |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 무령왕릉 석수 |
| Hanja | 武寧王陵 石獸 |
| RR | Muryeongwangneung seoksu |
| MR | Muryŏngwangnŭng sŏksu |
Unearthed in the center aisle of the tomb, it measures 30.8 cm (12.1 in) in height, 48 cm (19 in) in length, and 22 cm (8.7 in) in width, and weights 48 kg.[2] This type of funerary object is called seoksu (석수) with its literal meaning of a stone guardian which has an intention of protecting and leading the deceased to the heaven.[1][3]